Transcription

1 FINANCIAL SECTOR DISCUSSION SERIES Payment Systems & Remittances Remittance Service Providers in the United States: How remittance firms operate and how they perceive their business environment Ole E. Andreassen June 2006

2 Remittance Service Providers in the United States: How remittance firms operate and how they perceive their business environment Ole E. Andreassen This paper presents the findings of a survey of 73 remittance firms in 6 U.S. states, where company executives were interviewed in person. The paper finds that the largest obstacles to doing business that remittance firms face are related to obtaining bank accounts, licensing and bond requirements, and competition from the informal sector. Along with obtaining licenses, building agent networks and compliance systems are seen as the major barriers to entry into the remittance business. If we measure success by an increasing number of transactions, our study indicate that a higher number of agents, combining remittance products with other services, the use of technology, and operational efficiency are the key factors of success. The paper presents transactions, volumes, cost elements, and financial data for the firms. It describes in detail how remittance firms conduct their business and operations, and it looks at functions such as funds capture and disbursement, settlement and communications infrastructure, float yield and currency conversion, and marketing. It addresses pricing, transfer time, and the geographical scope of firms, and the roles of the different agents in the remittance industry. i

3 The author and research team would like to thank all the executives of U.S. remittance firms that agreed to meet with us and to share their experiences and thoughts about the remittance industry. They carry no responsibility for any errors or omissions. The field research preparation and execution was carried out by a team from the World Bank s Financial Sector Operations and Policy Department: Jose de Luna Martinez, Lisa Taber, Melina Mirmulstein, and Tao Wang. The author would like to acknowledge the team for particular efficient and devoted work in largely unchartered research territory. The author would also like to thank the peer reviewers, Richard Adams and Maria Soledad Martinez Peria, as well as Thorsten Beck, Massimo Cirasino, Stijn Claessens, Raul Hernandez-Coss, Jennifer Isern, George Kalan, Robert Keppler, Samuel Maimbo, Jose De Luna Martinez, Dilip Ratha, Jan Riedberg, and Marilou Uy for support and constructive comments. Finally, the research was greatly helped by members of the World Bank/Bank for International Settlements Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems Task Force on International Remittance Services. This support leaves the responsibility for any errors and omissions all the more with the author alone. This paper was written to provide a knowledge base for the World Bank s financial sector work on Payment Systems and Remittances, and in particular as an input to the World Bank/Bank for International Settlements Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems General Principles for International Remittance Services, available at ii

5 Abbreviations 9/11 Refers to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 ACH AML ATM CFT FinCEN ID IT KYC MTO OFAC PoS RSP RTGS SWIFT Automated Clearing House Anti-Money Laundering Automated Teller Machine Combating the Financing of Terrorism Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, part of the United States Department of the Treasury Identification Document Information Technology Know Your Customer Money Transfer Operator, in this text synonymous with RSP Office of Foreign Assets Control, part of the United States Department of the Treasury Point of Sale machine Remittance Service Provider, in this text synonymous with MTO Real Time Gross Settlement System Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, in this text its secure messaging services for wholesale financial entities iv

6 Regional Abbreviations The regional abbreviations refer to World Bank categorizations. For lists of countries under each region, please refer to ECA LAC EAP AFR SA Europe and Central Asia Latin America and Caribbean East Asia and the Pacific Sub-Saharan Africa South Asia MENA Middle East and North Africa v

7 Introduction International migration creates a market for cross-border retail payment with special access requirements on the sending and receiving side. A vibrant international remittance industry has emerged to meet this demand. This industry is attracting increased attention from policymakers and commercial interests, but little systematic research has been conducted in order to understand the industry s inner workings. This paper presents the findings of a survey of remittance operators in selected parts of the United States and looks at what characterizes such firms. The paper goes through the different parts of a remittance operation, and it describes how the industry has chosen to organize its operations. The objective of this paper is to describe the remittance business in the U.S. from the perspective of the remittance service providers. We do not attempt to explain how the business has developed to its current state, we do not attempt to determine market size and shares, and we do not attempt to establish causal links between firm characteristics and performance. This work is exploratory, and we focus on presenting the reader with the patterns we see in the data while including as much information from the survey as possible. Since the work is pioneering in collecting systematic data about remittance firms operations, it focuses on presenting a detailed picture rather than making a selection of topics. First we briefly discuss the nature of the remittance service. Then we describe how remittance firms operate based on our survey. Lastly, based strictly on the findings from this survey, we present the business environment as perceived by remittance firms, their policy concerns, and our opinions as for what characterizes firms that are likely to succeed in the future. The value added by remittance firms A remittance firm transfers funds from one person in one country to another person in another country. Often, the international remittance is the monetary fruit of migrant labor that is being transferred back to the migrant worker s family. This makes the remittance service a crucial component of the logistics of migration. There is a multitude of companies providing remittance services, of all sizes and using a large variety of technologies. They mainly add value in the following four areas, where their services are unique. 1

8 First, there is no global retail payment system. Global payments are largely effectuated by banks with correspondent relationships, or, in a variation of this, through a system of payment card processors that effectuate the retail transactions using correspondent banking relationships to settle balances. Bank wire transfers are often expensive, and the use of payment cards for remittances is in its infancy. Therefore, remittance firms perform a unique function in the crossborder retail payment infrastructure. Second, the senders of remittances often need an interface to access the banking system. Many do not have bank accounts, and banks opening hours are often not conducive to migrant work schedules. Cultural and language barriers can be significant, as can reluctance to engage with large financial institutions. Concerns about immigrant status can also prevent some migrants from using banks for international transfers. Similarly, migrants often have access to a more limited number of payment instruments, frequently only cash and money orders. Whereas a person with access to bank accounts, internet, payment cards, and checks can initiate payments in a large number of ways, a person with access only to cash and not to a bank account has a limited number of options. Remittance firms provide access to payment services for individuals that would otherwise have been excluded from such services. Third, remittance firms offer delivery of funds through instruments and channels that the recipient can access, such as cash from a disbursing agent that is located not too far from where the recipient lives or that offers courier delivery. Since domestic payment systems in many receiving countries are underdeveloped, agent networks provide a substitute and prevent recipients from having to travel to places covered by the banking system. As is the case with the senders, remittance firms increase access to payment services for the recipients. Fourth, remittance firms offer opportunities for cost savings. International wire transfers through banks are costly and slow. Remittance firms bundle a number of transfers, send the bundled funds through the banking system, and unbundle the funds at the other end. In this way, the settlement charges are spread over many remittance transactions. In this way, remittance firms reduce the cost of transferring funds. 2

9 The basics of a remittance operation A remittance transfer is a cross-border retail payment with special access requirements on the sending and receiving side. The figure below outlines the elements of a remittance operation (there exists a large variation in how individual firms organize their operations, as we describe in the subsequent sections). Elements of a remittance operation A remittance operation is initiated by a remittance service provider capturing funds from a remitter using any of a variety of instruments, either directly or through a capturing agent. The most normal instrument is cash; other instruments in use are direct debits, checks, money orders, and credit cards. There is a large number of possible instruments; one example is stored value accounts associated with cell phones. The capture channel can be physical, such as a grocery store operating as agent for a remittance service provider, or virtual, such as the internet or a call center. An ideal capture channel is close to the remitters, trusted, can handle cash, and can easily 3

10 be linked to the remittance service provider. The limitations on available capture channels tend to be associated with credit risk, compliance risk, and operating costs. For example, the internet is cost effective but it cannot handle cash, and it poses compliance challenges. An external agent may have good compliance procedures but can be costly and pose a credit risk. The capturing agent transfers the funds to the remittance service provider (or to a designated third party) using mechanisms such as a domestic payment system, transport of cash or written instruments, or the creation of liabilities to the remittance service provider. The communication between the agent and the remittance service provider can take place through a dedicated computer system, , fax, or telephone. Credit and compliance risks are addressed at some point in this process, and the data supplied by the remitter is validated. When the remittance service provider s policies on transaction validation are met, the disbursement process starts. The remittance service provider orders a disbursement agent to make funds available to the recipient. This message goes through channels such as SWIFT, a proprietary database, fax, , or phone, and it is originated either by an entity in the country where the remittance is initiated or by a partner or subsidiary of the remittance service provider in the country of destination. In many cases, the time from funds capture to funds availability is close to instant. In other cases, the transfer can take up to several days. Often, the determinants of speed are the instruments used for capture and the means of messaging. Compliance requires the remittance service provider to check recipients against a list of barred recipients, which is a process that must be computerized in order to allow for instant transfers. The disbursement agent may use a variety of instruments. A bank or non-bank account is credited, cash is picked up, or a check or money order is issued. 1 What legitimizes the remitter to pick up the remittance varies. It may be an official ID showing that the name and other identifying information is the same as in the remittance record, it can be a code communicated 1 Some remittance service providers also give the option of store credit, the delivery of goods, or the payment of bills to the benefit of the recipient. This study does not address such services. 4

11 from the remitter to the recipient, and it can be a code sent to the recipient s cell phone by the service provider. How the remittance service provider settles across borders varies with the nature of the operation. Smaller service providers typically use a settlement agent, such as an international bank or a bank with correspondent relationships, to wire funds to the service provider s account in the receiving country, or, alternatively, to its disbursement agent in that country. Remittance firms can also rely on disbursing partners that have accounts in the sending country. In these cases no international settlement is required from the perspective of the remittance service provider. Larger providers are able to use corporate treasuries to settle on their own books. International banks and banks with correspondent relationships settle through their usual means. 2 Hypothesis and survey methodology The purpose of this project is to document how remittance firms operate, to describe how they perceive their business environment, and to understand their business models. In addition to the purely descriptive work, our hypothesis is that there are characteristics that will allow us to distinguish successful business models. We conducted interviews with 73 remittance firms in 6 U.S. states between March and July In addition, we interviewed three remittance firms in the greater District of Columbia area. 2 It should be noted that settlement can be completely cashless, although none of our respondents use cashless settlement. A hypothetical example from the informal sector is where remittance service provider A captures funds from person B in country 1, promising to disburse the funds to person C in country 2. A then lends the funds captured to immigrant D in country 1, who wants to set up a business in country 1. Simultaneously, A s operation in country 2 has received cash in exchange for goods it has delivered to a third party. A s operation in country 2 pays these funds to person C in country 2. The net result is that B has sent a remittance to C, and A has invested his income from country 2 in country 1, effectively converted at an exchange rate agreed with person B. This operation can be completely legitimate, provided that A is in compliance in all applicable jurisdictions. 5

12 State Firms registered and domiciled in the state Number of firms interviewed California Florida Greater DC N/A 3 New Jersey New York Texas Illinois 25 9 We focused our study on the states with the highest proportion of migrants (see table below), at the same time as we tried to cover the country geographically. We then identified licensed/registered remittance providers within the states, frequently in coordination with state regulators. 3 If necessary, given logistical constraints, we limited our population to the counties with the highest migrant concentration. We then made a random selection of remittance providers. State Percent of Persons who were Foreign Born in California New York Hawaii New Jersey Florida Nevada Texas We used the best sources of remittance firms available. Normally this means the state regulators lists, cross-checked with either regulators with local knowledge or, alternatively, FinCEN s lists of money transmitters. 6

13 8 District of Columbia Arizona Illinois 12.3 Source: U.S. Census Bureau. We excluded Hawaii because of budget constraints and Arizona because of difficulties in obtaining accurate lists of remittance firms. We exclude the two largest remittance companies from our sample (Western Union and MoneyGram). These firms operate on a scale that cannot be compared to any other actors and would be more appropriately studied through separate case-studies. Except for these two firms, all licensed/registered firms in our states are included in the population. 4 We designed a survey instrument and called firms to request their participation. We then traveled to the firms that accepted our invitation. Some firms had to be excluded from the sample because of logistical constraints. In those cases, we replaced the excluded firms with firms within the logistical parameters. We considered sending a written survey instrument or perform telephone interviews rather than visiting firms in person. Our conclusion after contacts with remittance operators and industry representatives, previous attempts to survey the remittance industry, and discussions with researchers familiar with remittance issues, was that the only way of obtaining accurate information was through personal, face-to-face contact, in order to create a relationship of trust between the interviewer and the interviewee. The remittance industry is in many ways nascent; it is only in recent years that commercial and policy attention has focused on the area. A great number of operators are small, there is much secrecy in the business, competitive pressures are rising, and many operators fear for the future. 5 This survey is undertaken at a point in time where the opportunity to learn about the business is greater than what has previously been the case. The negative focus on remittance operations in light of terrorism financing has motivated many 4 We also exclude the informal sector. Identifying firms in this sector would require a completely difference methodology than ours, and the resources needed for such a study are beyond this current project. 5 For example, when we contacted firms, many initially thought we were an organization interested in starting a competing service or a bank interested in providing credit. 7

14 industry actors to behave like other, more established financial institutions in their dealings with government, competitors, and researchers. One example of this is that the industry has started to cooperate through industry associations and events. Every interview was written up into a small case-study of the responding firm. The casestudies were then quantified to the extent possible, and every relationship that is reported in this paper is based on analyzing the quantified data. For the quantitative data, we report summary statistics to describe how remittance firms perform and structure their services. We also look at two-way relationships between variables. Typically, we will report a two-way relationship when it is statistically significant at the 10% level and when the measure of association is at least 0.25 (Phi for 2xn and Cramer s V for 3x3 and above). Point-biserial correlations are considered significant at the 10% level. Goodness of fit for logistic regressions is measured using McKelvin and Zavoina R-squared. We do not often use multivariate regression analysis, except in some few cases where we feel safe about the necessary assumptions. In this paper, we only discuss how much variables vary together. We are not trying to describe the impact of a specific variable on company output holding other variables constant. Many of our variables can not be assumed to be independent. We also rely on many measures where we cannot assume normalized distributions for the variables. Results of the survey In the following, we present the results from the survey. Firstly, we will report how remittance firms perceive their business environment. As in any industry, the business environment is crucial to delivering an efficient service in an efficient market, and understanding the context in which firms operate is crucial to formulating public policy, Secondly, we will describe the sample of firms and their main characteristics. Based on our analysis of the sample, we will present the characteristics that are associated with successful firms. Thirdly, we will describe in detail how firms perform the various elements of a remittance operation as well as which characteristics are associated with each other. We will look at organization, ways of operating, costs, and prices. 8

15 Lastly, we will conclude with policy recommendations as reported by the firms during our interviews. We will not endorse or refute these recommendations; as stated initially, the main purpose of this project is to describe the remittance industry in the United States, and we believe part of this description is the firms own perceptions of what can be done better. The business environment for remittance services We asked the remittance firms how they perceive different aspects of their business environment. Specifically, we asked them to rank a list of obstacles to doing business from 1 (no obstable) to 4 (major obstacle). Obstacles reported by firms AML requirements abroad AML requirements US Financial literacy abroad Financial literacy US Exchange controls Taxes on financial transactions abroad Taxes on financial transactions US Crime abroad Crime in US Lack of telecom infrastructure abroad Lack of telecom infrastructure US Lack of physical infrastructure abroad Access to credit Access to equity finance Informal competitors Formal competitors Bank settlement services abroad Bank settlement services US Bank accounts abroad Bank accounts US Access to domestic ACH abroad Access to domestic ACH US Corruption abroad Corruption in US Access to liquidity abroad Access to liquidity US Licensing/bond abroad Licensing/bond in the US Reporting requirements abroad Reporting requirements in the US 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Considerable obstacle Major obstacle The four largest obstacles to doing business are related to the regulatory regime in the U.S., either directly or indirectly. The largest problem is getting access to maintaining or opening accounts with U.S. banks. Banks are the only way for remittance firms to access payment and settlement systems and to maintain transaction accounts and as such a crucial component in a remittance system. 9

16 The banks reluctance to open accounts, and their frequent closing of remittance service providers accounts, is related to an unclear regulatory situation at the time of writing. From the interviews, we suspect the reason for problems getting bank settlement services is due to the same cause. Our interviews indicated a strong dissatisfaction with what is perceived as close oversight of formal remittance firms but no oversight or attempts to regulate informal firms, which is perceived to prevent a level playing field and create a competitive disadvantage to the firms that are appropriately licensed. This might be reflected in competition from informal firms being perceived as the second largest obstacle. Note that we are not investigating the actual regulatory activities in the U.S., but the formal remittance firms assessment of informal competition as an obstacle to doing business. Connected to this is another of the major obstacles: bonding and licensing requirements in the U.S.. The ranking of this obstacle shows how important it is that all firms be treated equally and subject to the same regulations: if being formal entails major obstacles to doing business, then informal competitors gain even more of an advantage. Several firms expressed that it would be more appropriate to have bond requirements based on the overall transaction volume rather than a set amount per state in which the firm operates. AML requirements in the U.S. rank fourth. This is consistent with 40% of firms noting AML as one of their main expenses, as well as with 50% of firms reporting that they hire outside expertise in order to meet their AML standards. Region firm is sending to ECA LAC EAP AFR SA MENA Top three obstacles firms perceive by region the firm sends to Bank accounts in the U.S., bank accounts abroad, informal competition Bank accounts in the U.S., informal competition, access to credit Bank accounts in the U.S., licensing/bond requirements in the U.S., AML requirements in the U.S. Bank accounts in the U.S., informal competitors, access to domestic ACH in the U.S. Bank accounts in the U.S., informal competitors, licensing/bond requirements in the U.S. Bank accounts in the U.S., bank settlement services in the U.S., access to liquidity in the U.S. 10

18 If we break down the obstacles by the regions where firms disburse, we see some interesting patterns. Note that the regional abbreviations are explained in the table above. The bank account problem, although it affects all firms, is particularly pronounced for firms sending remittances to Africa, where all the respondents rate it a major obstacle. Bond requirements in the U.S. are most frequently rated as an obstacle by firms sending to EAP; these are also the firms most affected by AML requirements in the U.S.. Problems related to obtaining bank settlement services affect firms sending to MENA more than others. All these obstacles are rated fairly evenly among regions. Some obstacles vary more among the regions. Access to liquidity affects firms sending to MENA much more than other firms, as do problems with financial literacy in the receiving country, exchange controls, and access to liquidity in the receiving country, whereas there are few problems in MENA related to crime in the disbursing countries. Licensing and bond requirements abroad affect SA and Africa in particular. Access to credit and liquidity abroad are problems particular to LAC and Africa. The same goes for bank settlement services abroad. SA and EAP have little problems in these areas. Firms sending to Africa are particularly constrained by informal competition, whereas formal competition affects all firms. The way firms perceive competition can be linked to firm characteristics other than destination region. In addition to asking how firms perceive competition as an obstacle, we also asked about their perception of the competitiveness of the market in general. Firms that are engaged in remittances only are much more likely to consider the market fragmented than firms that are also engaged in other lines of business, which is what we would expect since firms that have several business lines can use these business lines to retain customers (this relationship holds if we control for age). This relationship is further strengthened for the firms that consider their relationship with their customers as their comparative advantage. Firms perceiving a fragmented market are also the ones that have increased their prices, been spending relatively more of their resources on agent commissions, and see reporting systems as a barrier to entering the business. Older firms perceive more competition. The explanation can be that older firms compare the current, increasingly competitive situation, with the past. New firms will be more likely to 12

19 consider the current situation normal. If we hold firm age constant, no other variables in our sample impact significantly which firms perceive increased competition. Perceptions of competition in the market Competition is increasing 50.75% The market is fragmented 41.54% The market is oligopolistic 13.85% The market is consolidating 18.46% The perception of competition also depends on the state. Competition is in particular perceived to have increased in New York, Florida, and California, whereas it is in particular perceived as fragmented in California. State Firms mentioning that competition is increasing Firms mentioning that competition is fragmented New Jersey 8.89% 13.04% New York 20.00% 17.39% Florida 20.00% 8.70% California 26.67% 43.48% Texas 15.56% 17.34% Illinois 8.89% 0% Different from the obstacles faced by existing firms are the hurdles that new entrants must overcome, and we will address these hurdles in the next section. 13

20 Barriers to entry We asked the respondents to mention the most significant barriers they would encounter if they were to set up a remittance firm from scratch today. This question is different from the obstacles we reported above: a going concern does not necessarily have the same challenges as a startup. As opposed to the obstacles question, the question about barriers was an open question, and the answers were categorized during the subsequent analysis. Barriers to entry as reported by firms Access US financial infrastructure Commerical contacts Technology Acquire knowhow Build trust with consumers Get license abroad Get working capital Get bond US Get bank account Build compliance systems Create agent network Get license US 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% indicates a barrier created at least in part by the U.S. regulatory environment Four of the six major barriers to entry are caused by the regulatory environment, reflecting the major obstacles to doing business. 6 The key factors from a commercial perspective are building an agent network and raising working capital. This is not a healthy situation if the goal is to encourage new entrants into the market. Nobody will dispute the necessity of an appropriate regulatory regime in order to ensure the 6 The firms filled in the sheets with the obstacles after the interview where they identified the main barriers to entry, so that the structured questions about obstacles would not influence the open question about barriers. 14

Human Movements and Immigration (HMI) World Congress, 2-5 September 2004, Barcelona, Spain Track: Economics and Development Dialogue Session on Remittances and Development Title: Connecting People on the

This Report reflects the latest trends observed in the data published in March 2014. Remittance Prices Worldwide is available at http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org Overview The Remittance Prices Worldwide*

Appendix D Fundamentals of the Funds Transfer Process Essentially, an electronic funds transfer is a transaction by which funds move from one institution to another or one account to another at the direction

This Report reflects the latest trends observed in the data published in June. Remittance Prices Worldwide is available at http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org Overview The Remittance Prices Worldwide*

West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) Inherent Risk in Global Remittances Presented by Mike Ogbalu III Fraud and losses due to fraud is an acceptable cost of doing business?

December 2008 International Remittances by Terri Bradford, Payments System Research Specialist oney may or may not make the world go around, but it certainly makes its way around the world. The World Bank

Mobile Money Transfer International Remittance Service Providers An overview of mobile International Remittance Service Provider service offerings Author: Neil Daly May 2010 Table of contents 1 An Introduction

IAT Scenarios Simplified Several abbreviated scenarios are provided below to better understand when a specific payment transaction involving the U.S. ACH Network would be deemed an International ACH Transaction

The role of Inter-operability and access to National Payments System in promoting innovations in retail payments findings from the World Bank survey on innovations in retail payments 1 This note has been

AUGUST 22, 2014 International Fund Transfers SMALL ENTITY COMPLIANCE GUIDE VERSION 3.0 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction... 4 I. What is the purpose of this guide?... 4 II. Who should read this guide?...

19 2: Credit cards, etc Overview of the sector Note: This sectoral guidance is incomplete on its own. It must be read in conjunction with the main guidance set out in Part I of the Guidance. 2.1 A credit

The Development of Self-Employment in Russia Theodore February 2001 PONARS Policy Memo 186 University of Arizona Despite the important economic, social, and political roles the self-employed can potentially

CHAPTER V. OTHER ACTIVITIES OF THE BANK OF ALBANIA V.1 PAYMENT SYSTEM Objectives of the system One of the main tasks of the Bank of Albania (pursuant to the Law On the Bank of Albania ) is the encouragement

Wolfsberg Anti-Money Laundering Principles for Correspondent Banking 1 Preamble The Wolfsberg Group of International Financial Institutions 1 has agreed that these Principles constitute global guidance

Two trillion and counting Assessing the credit gap for micro, small, and medium-size enterprises in the developing world OCTOBER 2010 Peer Stein International Finance Corporation Tony Goland McKinsey &

MULTILATERAL INVESTMENT FUND INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK SENDING MONEY HOME REMITTANCE RECIPIENTS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND REMITTANCE SENDERS FROM THE US Columbia University New York City November

Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems The World Bank General principles for international remittance services January 2007 THE WORLD BANK Copies of publications are available from: Bank for International

How a thoughtful FX strategy can give Fund Managers a competitive edge Executive summary Each alternative investment fund takes a different approach to its investment strategy, but the ultimate goals are

RECOMMENDED CORE ELEMENTS OF AN AML TRAINING PROGRAM FOR LIFE INSURANCE AGENTS AND BROKERS NOTICE: This document is provided to assist life insurance companies in the integration of their agents and brokers,

APPROVAL NO. APPROVAL IS HEREBY GRANTED to xxxxxxxxxx by the Bank of Jamaica acting on behalf of the Minister of Finance and the Public Service pursuant to the provisions of the Bank of Jamaica Act, to

MODERNIZATION OF THE NATIONAL PAYMENT SYSTEM Guatemala, March 2006. MODERNIZATION OF THE NATIONAL PAYMENT SYSTEM I. CONCEPTUAL ASPECTS ABOUT PAYMENT SYSTEMS: 1. The payment system is the group of institutions,

Asia Market Intelligence Singapore Presence HSBC has 10 branches and 27 automated teller machines (ATMs) in Singapore, of which 8 are located at offsite locations. The Bank offers a comprehensive range

Asia Market Intelligence Thailand Presence HSBC s history in Thailand dates back to 1865, when the Bank appointed an agent in Bangkok. In 1888, a representative office opened in Bangkok, becoming the first

International Bank Money Transfer US Electronic Transfer of Funds This bank money transfer Presentation reviews the electronic transfer of funds in the context of international money transfer. The focus

Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems The World Bank General principles for international remittance services Consultative report March 2006 THE WORLD BANK Copies of publications are available from:

The benefits of private equity investment David Wilton, Chief Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC), looks at how private equity can be beneficial; the different investment strategies

Please read this disclosure carefully because it tells you your rights and obligation concerning Electronic Fund Transfers and your Debit MasterCard. You should keep this disclosure for further reference.

AUGUST 14, 2013 International Fund Transfers SMALL ENTITY COMPLIANCE GUIDE VERSION 2.0 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction... 4 I. What is the purpose of this guide?... 4 II. Who should read this guide?...

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PLANNING CHECKLIST For Development of Overall International Business Plan Thomas B. McVey 1 Introduction: The following Checklist is designed to be used by a Company s senior management

Universal Banking Solution System Integration Consulting Business Process Outsourcing Remittance is the act of transmitting money to a distant location to fulfill an obligation This Knowledge Paper makes

"In all the business connections between Western Union and the customers, Naville SA acts exclusively on behalf of and for Western Union. Only Western Union is authorized to supply the services described

Legal notice All effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this translation, which is based on the original Slovenian text. All translations of this kind may, nevertheless, be subject to a certain

Unofficial translation of AML/ CFT Regulations for Banks Introduction The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) issued on 19 November 2003 AML Regulations for Banks, according to the Anti money Laundering Law No.

INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT BANKS Registered Name Commercial name (if applicable) Full address of the registered office of the financial institution (Street, town and country) VAT number BIC code Website:

STATEMENT BY SENATOR CARL LEVIN (D-MICH) BEFORE PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS ON FAILURE TO IDENTIFY COMPANY OWNERS IMPEDES LAW ENFORCEMENT November 14, 2006 In 2004, the United States was home

International Payments and Receivables Made Simple Solutions for LAW FIRMS Why do more than 500 law firms worldwide already trust Travelex GLOBAL BUSINESS PAYMENTS to process THEIR INTERNATIONAL payments?

SEMGROUP CORPORATION Anti-Corruption Compliance Policy August, 2011 SCOPE This is a global policy (the Policy ) applicable to the worldwide operations of SemGroup Corporation ("SemGroup") and all of its

7 May 2014 HSBC BANK CANADA FIRST QUARTER 2014 RESULTS Profit before income tax expense for the quarter ended 2014 was C$233m, a decrease of 13.4% compared with the same period in and broadly unchanged

REDUCING THE COST OF INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY THE CASE OF THE PHILIPPINES A Presentation by Rosalinda O. Nieva Deputy Director Core Information Technology Supervision Group Presentation

WESTMORELAND COMMUNITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION DEBIT CARD AGREEMENT AND DISCLOSURE This Debit Card Agreement and Disclosure is the contract which covers your and our rights and responsibilities concerning

June 2 The Reserve Bank s Open Market Operations Introduction The Cash Rate The stance of monetary policy in Australia is expressed in terms of a target for the cash rate the interest rate on unsecured

Travelex Helping customers to send and spend money around the world March 2014 Notice to Recipient THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENT ( PRESENTATION ) HAS BEEN PREPARED BY TRAVELEX

Ref.:EBF_007865E Brussels, 09 May 2014 Launched in 1960, the European Banking Federation is the voice of the European banking sector from the European Union and European Free Trade Association countries.

Business Plan Guidelines The following Business Plan Format checklist is meant as a guideline only listing the most important sections of the business plan in the order in which they will likely appear

Overview In light of the increasing volume and sophistication of cyber threats, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council 1 (FFIEC) developed the Cybersecurity Tool (), on behalf of its members,

Disclaimers 1) If the exchange rate for your transaction was determined at the time you sent the money, the currency to be paid out and the exchange rate are listed on your receipt. Otherwise, the exchange

Asia Market Intelligence Hong Kong SAR Presence The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) is one of the largest banks incorporated in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Case Id: 6793f8c7-c6ef-45dd-8987-665fe5775337 Date: 13/05/2015 23:30:38 Public consultation on Building a Capital Markets Union Fields marked with * are mandatory. Introduction The purpose of the Green

Thomson Reuters KNOW YOUR THIRD PARTY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The drive to improve profitability and streamline operations motivates many organizations to collaborate with other businesses, increase outsourcing